Collide
by thundersolstice
Summary: In a different world, Lion-O is heir to one of the most powerful companies on Third Earth. He seeks a different path in life, unable to escape the heavy responsibilities of a position he does not want. But when a newly hired secretary catches his eye, everything changes—and in a society where classism runs rampant, things spiral from there. Modern AU, Lion-OxKit.
1. i: Lion-O

Friendly reminder that Lion-O/Kit was set to become canon in the second season. Just pointing that out.

This fic is a Lion-O/Kit modern AU-most characters have been aged up (notably Lion-O to 25 years and Kit to 18 years). The story is being written and shared in roughly 1,000-word installments, so expect a lot of tragically short chapters.

Author is anonymous. Cover art by Everybery.

Enjoy!

* * *

The tension in the boardroom was like a thin string pulled taut by stout fingers, right on the verge of snapping. It was a nerve-racking experience for Lion-O, blood-son of the company's head. He was sitting in on what was supposed to be a lucrative contract deal between his family's company and another one he hadn't heard of before today, a meeting of four where he was clearly the most out of place. And it showed in how rigid and tense he was compared to the other three there.

His father, Claudus, was the head of the company. That meant he made the final decision on how things would play out, something that he took very seriously. He sat upright with purpose, proud of his position and all that it entailed.

His adoptive older brother, Tygra, was in a high position within the company as well, considered the most trusted by their father among the upper echelons. It was a role heavy with responsibility, but it was one that he seemed to take in stride. That much was evident as he rested his back against the chair, eyes running over every inch of the document in front of him to ensure there was nothing that could blindside him.

Even the representative sent by the company that they were entering into a contract with, Miss Pumyra, sat with her fingers laced and body forward. She held her head high and eyes forward despite the tense silence, her confidence unshakable even in the face of a cat as powerful and imposing as Claudus.

"The terms seem reasonable, Father," Tygra said, handing the contracts back over to Claudus. "I can find nothing amiss."

"Is that so?" Despite his brother's assurance, Claudus seemed to have some hesitance as he took the contracts back. However, that hesitation vanished after a moment. "Then we will accept them."

"Then all that's left is to assign who will be the representatives overseeing the work," Miss Pumyra said. "I will be representing my company, of course. Shall I assume that you will be my opposite in this undertaking?"

"No." Claudus turned his gaze towards Lion-O. A cold pit formed in the bottom of his stomach before the decree that followed. "Lion-O will be the one to oversee everything with you."

Lion-O, having been caught by surprise at the development, looked to his father with a bewildered expression. "Me?"

Surprise briefly flickered on the female cat's face as well, but she resumed her neutral expression within a second. "Forgive me, but given the importance of this contract, I had assumed you would be the one overseeing it."

"My time is divided as is and I have other matters that need my utmost attention. Thus I have delegated the task to my son."

"Be that as it may, the role should be assigned to someone with a more… established history of success in overseeing tasks of this nature." It was a polite way of saying he wasn't ready for that sort of responsibility. "If you are not available, then your other son is a viable candidate, I believe?"

As much as it would sting on the inside to admit, Lion-O couldn't find any fault in her words. Tygra actually had done work with other companies as their representative. Even outside of it, one would be hard-pressed to find anything bad said about him.

However, before he could agree, his father stood up and rose to his full height. "Lion-O will be the representative for our company overseeing the contract." He turned his gaze towards Lion-O. "This is non-negotiable."

Lion-O's heart clawed its way up to his throat and stuck there at the burning in his father's eyes. He would not be allowed to refuse. Not this time. "As you wish, Father."

The female cat's lips pursed tight before she sighed and recomposed herself. "…Very well. Let us sign and seal the contracts then."

The legal documentation was signed by all those to be involved, cementing the deal in legal binding. With no further business, Miss Pumyra excused herself from the room and Tygra offered to escort her out of the building. That left father and son alone within the empty boardroom.

"Father, you can't expect me to oversee this project. I've only been shadowing you and Tygra until now. Something this important should be handled by Tygra or someone else more qualified."

"Lion-O," Claudus said in a low, firm tone. "How long have you been shadowing your older brother and I?"

"Around a year now?" Lion-O said cautiously.

"A single year out of the twenty-five you've been alive." Claudus rose from his seat. "That's how long you've spent without your head in the clouds. And now that I've given you a chance to prove that you've been paying attention by placing a little responsibility on your shoulders, you want to push it onto your brother. That speaks poorly of you."

"I'm not pushing the responsibility onto him because I'm being irresponsible," Lion-O said in his defense. "This isn't a little responsibility, it's a major deal and I don't want to risk making a mistake…" He trailed off as his father finished walking around the table and stopped in front of him.

"Son, I will not be around forever." Claudus placed his hands on Lion-O's shoulders and softened his expression. "And as much as I love your older brother, he cannot be the one to inherit the company. It is passed down through blood and he is adopted. That means you will be the one to inherit the company."

That was the sole reason Lion-O had to inherit the company, despite preferring to do almost anything else. He didn't want to be the one responsible for bringing everything his ancestors worked toward to ruin by screwing up. He'd already taken enough from his family as it was by being born.

His father continued in a softer tone. "I have great expectations for you. This is the first step in living up to them. See it through to the very end and I will know that our legacy will be in good hands. I have faith in you, Lion-O."

Lion-O looked away at that, unable to find the words to try and dissuade his father from his decision.


	2. ii: Kit

Kit found herself being forced to sidestep the businesswoman leaving the boardroom, or be brushed aside without a word. The act nearly made her spill the cup of hot coffee in her hands, a rich brown brew in a mug that cost more than the outfit she wore. She huffed as she caught her balance, and then continued down the corridor towards the office of one of the higher-ups in the company that she worked under.

The scent of the coffee teased her along the way. It was tempting her to take a sip of it and, had the circumstances been different, Kit would have liked nothing more than to settle down and take her time in savoring its flavor. She could only imagine what it would be like to taste the type of coffee that cost more for one cup than a month's salary, but she wouldn't risk her job for a chance to indulge in her caffeine craving.

She knocked on the door when she reached the office out of habit and waited until she was given permission to enter before she did so. "Here's the coffee you asked me to fetch you, sir."

"Set it down on the coaster and then get to work," her boss, a tail-less panther, said dismissively from behind a polished desk. He didn't even look up from his papers as he said it. For him, his work was more important that addressing her personally. "I need all the documents on the table by the door sorted by type and organized by folder before the upcoming meeting tomorrow."

Kit looked at the table and found a stack of papers that were half her height. It would take her hours to sort them all, and there were only three left before the workday ended. Taking into account the public transportation schedule… she'd be lucky to get back home before late night in a best case scenario.

"Is there a problem?"

She turned towards the challenging tone of her boss' voice to see that he was now looking up at her, holding the mug. "None at all, sir."

"Good. After all, you're fortunate enough to be allowed to work in such a prestigious company in the first place despite your low standing. That means you need to pull your weight. If you can't, you'll be replaced by someone more fitting for the role."

Tension built up in her tail, hidden beneath her skirt and wrapped around her waist to avoid sticking out, and her ears, kept bound near the tips to give it a business-like appearance. She forcibly kept them under control as she agreed. "You're right, sir. I'll see it done without fail."

Kit grabbed the documents and folders, carting them off to the smaller desk that had been assigned to her. Then she set to work, ignoring the weight of eyes from the others in the office. Yet the words of her superior continued to hound her in her seat.

It wasn't wrong to say that she was fortunate enough to get the position she was in. Even though she was overqualified for it, the company she worked for was the sort of place that welcomed only those who were in a higher-class of living: the wealthy and the tail-less.

In contrast, Kit was a country girl from a family that lived on a farm. After the death of her father, her mother could barely harvest the fields to feed all of them. While there was a government support program that helped them get by, there just wasn't enough for a family of five. So she and her brother, Kat, strived to ease their burden and decided against attending a high school.

Kit had instead studied under a former teacher that lived nearby in order to earn her GED prematurely, within a single year. Then she moved to the city and lived with a friend of the family to attend the local community college. After a few years of hard work, she'd earned her Associate's Degree in Office Administration.

But the capital was heavily structured around an elitist class system. The degree she'd earned was meant for a career higher than being a secretary, but had barely been enough to get her the position. And even that was because the professor she studied under had a history with the head of the company, vouching on her behalf.

She almost sighed at the fact that this was the highest position she could hope to rise to, despite working so hard. Yet she also couldn't complain. While the position may have been menial, the pay and benefits were unmatched by any other options available to her. And there were few of those to begin with. So she continued sorting and organizing as the hours passed, entrenching herself into the work with the utmost concentration to avoid making a single mistake that could cost her this job.

By the time she was finished, night had long since fallen. The ride on the bus became an unnerving experience, and the familiar streets that formed her neighborhood became foreign. Relief only arrived once she'd made it to the building that housed her small apartment.

She opened the door, intent on taking a shower and then going to bed since her job had devoured what precious little spare time she had for the day. Instead, she was greeted by the strained wheezing of a pair of lungs struggling for every breath. Tension coiled in her limbs and tail as her hand darted for the switch on the wall.

Light flooded the small room, revealing the intruder. Her twin brother, Kat, was seated in the chair at her table and staring at the photo she kept of their family. It had been taken shortly before her departure and served as a reminder of why she put up with her job.

One of Kat's eyes had swollen shut, a blackened ring around it. The opposite side of his face was swollen as well. He was clearly in pain, but he still managed a weak smile as he turned to her.

"Hey… Sis…"


	3. iii: Lion-O

Lion-O's unease at the weight of responsibility placed on his shoulders hadn't settled by the time that he and Tygra arrived back home. Their father had sent them back ahead of him hours ago. It was dark outside now, night having fallen, and he had yet to return. But that was to be expected given how busy Claudus often was.

"Lion-O, you'll do fine," Tygra said as he walked around the counter towards the refrigerator. Having changed out of his business suit, the older brother wore a short-sleeve shirt and white pants.

"You don't understand. There are at least one hundred people I'm in charge of overseeing with this project on our end alone. The money being placed into it by our company isn't something to scoff at either. If I botch things, it'll cost people their jobs and set our company back by who knows how many years."

"Look, Father wouldn't put you in that sort of position if he didn't think you were ready. You know how he is. He does what's best for the company and those inside of it. Besides, you've been following us for a good long while, so you know the ins-and-outs now."

"It'd be easier if I at least had someone more pleasant to work alongside. That woman made it clear that she preferred you or Father."

Tygra grimaced. "…Yeah, she's going to be a tough one to work with. But, even if that's the case, it's already done. Besides, a woman like that might be the sort of person best-suited to keep you grounded instead of having your head in the clouds."

It may have been a jest, but that didn't help him at all. Not when one of their father's gripes had been how Lion-O often daydreamed to escape reality. That was part of the reason Claudus had essentially strong-armed Lion-O into shadowing him and Tygra, to prepare him for the day he would inherit the company.

Tygra tapped him on the shoulder, rousing him from his thoughts. "Look, just trust your intuition. And if there's something about the project that's really too much for you to handle, just talk to me about it. I've got your back on this."

As reassuring as that was he couldn't rely on Tygra all the time. He had his own responsibilities as well, and the last thing Lion-O wanted was being responsible for putting more of a burden on his adoptive brother's shoulders. Plus, he got the feeling that their father wanted him to deal with this on his own.

His thoughts were immediately diverted when he heard footfalls coming from the stairs. It was Cheetara, a model and Tygra's fiancée. She took notice of them both and then made her way into the kitchen to give her future husband a kiss. Lion-O felt that he would rather be anywhere else at that moment, a feeling that lingered even after the kiss was broken.

"So, what are you boys discussing?" she asked.

"Father put Lion-O in charge of his first project and he's nervous about failing," Tygra said, gesturing to Lion-O. "I'm telling him he'll do fine, but it's not really getting through that skull of his and he keeps whining about it."

"I'm not whining," Lion-O argued. "I'm just pointing out that there were better choices than me."

"You shouldn't think that way," Cheetara said as she approached him in an attempt to try her own hand at easing his fears. "It's natural to be nervous the first time you do something. But you should still give it your all so that you won't have regrets, instead of clinging to the thought that someone else could do better."

Lion-O looked away at that, for more reasons than one. He still felt a great deal of discomfort at her being so close. For her it was a natural thing when she wanted to support someone, but when they'd first met he had somehow deluded himself into believing there was much more meaning to it than there was.

A distraction came in the form of ringing from the intercom that linked the front gate to the mansion. Being a family of old money and high-standing, their mansion was located twenty miles from the company. It towered over any of the other trees or structures nearby, inside and outside the vast swathe of land they were nestled on, and was walled off from the outside world via gates that circled around on top of that.

"Are we expecting visitors?" Lion-O asked the other two. If it was their father, he would be able to unlock the gate on his own. They both shook their heads.

Tygra pressed the intercom button and responded. "Who's this?"

"My name is Panthro," said a masculine voice through the intercom. "I'm a detective from the Thundera Police department. I need to speak to the family here involving an investigation."

A foreboding sense of dread welled up in Lion-O's chest. He didn't think that anyone in his immediate family would do something to become involved in an investigation. His hobbies weren't the sort of things that would draw the attention of the police, while Tygra was a model citizen, and Cheetara had a clear record as well. That was something their father investigated before he consented to Tygra's eventual marriage to her.

The silence that fell over the kitchen for a pause was eventually broken when Tygra asked, "What exactly is the nature of this investigation?"

"An hour ago, police were informed of body was found in an alley in the capital. We believe that the individual in question was murdered." The detective paused after that, giving them a moment to understand the weight of what he was saying.

The feeling of dread in Lion-O's chest fell to his stomach, churning. He closed his eyes and took a steadying breath, hoping with all his might it wasn't the sole member of their immediate family that was absent.

That fleeting hope was instantly crushed when the detective spoke again.

"The identification found on the body was that of a man named Claudus."


End file.
